10 Most Fascinating Dinosaur Facts

Dinosaurs existed about 66 million years ago. Dinosaurs have dominated the earth for almost 165 million years while human beings have been around for only two million years.

Titanasaurs- the biggest dinosaurs

They are largest dinosaurs ever discovered. In fact they are probably the largest terrestrial animals that have ever existed on earth. They could grow up to 40m long and 20 m high. It is believed that since their necks were so elongated, if they head their necks high up there were chances of death as it posed difficulties for their hearts to pump blood all the way up. Their weight is believed to be anywhere between 70 to 100 tones, which is roughly equal to the weight of fifteen of the heaviest elephants in the world.

Most dinosaurs had feathers.

A common assumption is that the dinosaurs had leathery skin as that of a lizard. However, most dinosaurs had feathers covering their entire body proving our assumption wrong. Scientists say that feathers were used for communication. Also male dinosaurs used feathers to attract the females.

Most dinosaurs were vegetarians

Most dinosaurs, especially the large ones, were vegetarians. Large animals need plenty of food. So it is assumed that it was because of this reason that most large dinosaurs were vegetarians as plants were available in plenty. Most meat eaters walked on two legs which enabled them to walk fast and most plant eaters walked on two legs to better carry their body weight.

The largest dinosaur eggs.

The largest dinosaur eggs are as big as a basketball. As the egg gets bigger, the shell gets thicker. This would mean that if the eggs had been bigger, then the baby dinosaurs probably would not have come out.

Hadrosaur – toothiest dinosaur

Hadrosaur could have over 1,000 teeth and it continually grew new ones. These teeth enabled them to grind the food before swallowing. Hadrosaurs were also called duck-billed dinosaurs because their heads were similar to that of modern day ducks.

Dinosaur brains were the size of tennis ball.

Dinosaurs had small brains. It is said that the size of a dinosaur brain was smaller than the size of a new born human baby’s brain. Due to the small size of brain, they were not very intelligent creature. A dinosaur’s intellect was suited to its lifestyle and the tasks it performed. Even the biggest dinosaurs had brain that was just the size of a tennis ball. The smartest dinosaurs were the Troondon and the dumbest dinosaurs are called Stegosaurus.

Dinosaurs are not actually extinct!

Scientists believe that birds such as the chicken are dinosaurs and therefore dinosaurs are not extinct. While studying the embryo of a cock and a dinosaur, it was found that a very close resemblance exists in the way their bones and body develop. Many birds have close related characteristics as that of dinosaurs in regard to long tails, claws and even teeth.

A dinosaur could run 40 miles per hour and even more.

It is frightening to think about the scenario that would have resulted if dinosaurs existed today at this speed. The fastest running dinosaur was the ostrich mimic Ornithomimids, such as Dromiceiomimus which could run up to 60 miles per hour.

Smallest dinosaur

The smallest fully grown dinosaur fossil is Lisothosaurus which is the size of a chicken. Smaller fossils have been found but they are of baby dinosaurs. The smallest dinosaur egg is only 3cm and it is not known which species it belongs to. The largest dinosaur egg belongs to a meat eater called Segnosaurus.

Dinosaurs lived in all continents.

Dinosaurs dominated all continents including Antarctica. Britain was a hot spot for dinosaurs during the Mesozoic era. So far 108 species of dinosaurs have been found in Britain.